The Art of Living

Self-Management — How to Survive and Thrive in the 21st Century

"El Baba debuts with an intriguing blend of meditative mindfulness and productivity hacking" — Publishers Weekly

What’s on your mind?

Chances are there are many things occupying your mind.

That’s not surprising given the 21st century world we live in. A frenzied pace of life and a pandemic lack of time have become typical, defining and systematic features of our modern times. And as you can expect, pressure on your time directly translates into pressure on your mind, on your attention, and finally on your nerves.

Given the fundamental functioning of the human brain and human cognition, there are predictable, alarming issues with how people fare under these circumstances. Rising burnout rates and our current distracted, post-truth society are only some of the symptoms of our struggle to cope with this new reality.

Insights from sociology, neuroscience and cognitive science (Daniel Kahneman’s “Thinking, fast and slow”) as well as philosophy imply a real need for people to operate differently in the 21st century, to not just survive but also thrive in the flow of life. In light of this knowledge, the only sustainable, comprehensive approach that can get things off your mind is to effectively handle them outside your mind, in an external self-management system. Such a system needs to be supported by solid habits, with which the system forms an integrated practice for managing your conscious experience.

Tried-and-tested self-management methods like David Allen’s “Getting Things Done™” (GTD™) offer part of the solution, but they need to be extended, generalized, made more comprehensive and yet also made more accessible. These are needed for self-and-life-management, self-direction, attention and commitment management, stress management, improved decision making and judgement and more generally for dealing properly with information. Only with these can we hope to solve the problems in our lives and in our society.

Adopting the generalized “Art of Living” system and practice will allow you individually to take back your mental space, control of your life, your sense of judgement and your ability to make and execute good decisions. As will be clear from reading this book, this will also allow all of us collectively to do so.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 5 APR 2021

Audio engineer El Baba debuts with an intriguing blend of meditative mindfulness and productivity hacking geared toward those with a dedicated interest in maximizing their time. He begins by analyzing management consultant David Allen's "Getting Things Done" methodology, which teaches a holistic productivity mindset, arguing that Allen's methodology represents a much-needed shift that will help people engage in their life and naturally reap the benefits of productive activity. El Baba then lays out his "art of living system," which focuses on "self-and-life-management, self-direction, attention management and control, commitment management, good decision making and judgement," and "the optimal way to deal with information." He does this through a rather complicated process that involves prioritizing, color-coding, and tracking items including goals, outlines for projects, habits, and even grocery lists. Each category is then discussed in-depth, with tips on task prioritization and developing productive routines. This will appeal to those who enjoy hyper-organization programs like bullet journaling, but it may be overly complicated for those with a less fervent desire to improve their time management. (Self-published)

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